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Illustrator CS3 gradient tool problem...

10-01-2008, 05:37 PM

I think I started noticing this problem when I upgraded to CS3. When I have a shape and I use the gradient tool to add a gradient, it doesn't give me an even gradient. For example, if I have a white to black gradient. I drag across the shape, but the gradient isn't even. The majority of it will be white, with it transitioning to black quickly. Is this a bug, do I have a setting wrong? Thanks for any help

Comment

You've probably moved the "location" sliders on your gradient swatch. Those are the sliders which define the blended weight of one color over another across a section of the gradient. The default location is 50&#37;, so that there is an even blend from Color A to Color B (in this case, White to Black). Your location slider was probably shifted towards the black, so you have a long gradient from the white, ending in a short gradient to black.

Since Gradients in Illy are saved in swatches, this accidental change would have been saved into the swatch, and applied whenever you use your gradient tool, until you change or edit your gradient swatch.

To fix this, simply select your gradient swatch, and open up the Gradient Palette. You will see your black and white Color sliders on the bottom, and you will see a small location slider along the top of the bar. It should be directly in the middle of the two color sliders for an even gradient. You will no doubt find that it is nudged up close to the black Color Slider (or else the Black Color Slider is shifted in, and not at the end of the gradient bar).

You can click on the slider and type 50% in the location field if you want to define its location more precisely.

Comment

it looks like it might me a black and white gradient problem, its less noticeable when I use other colors. I actually remember having the problem in the past when creating opacity masks, and I couldn't get the black and white gradient to come out even. I attached an example showing the Illustrator gradient on the left, and the photoshop on the right. See how the photoshop one is more evenly spread out?

Comment

it looks like it might me a black and white gradient problem, its less noticeable when I use other colors. I actually remember having the problem in the past when creating opacity masks, and I couldn't get the black and white gradient to come out even. I attached an example showing the Illustrator gradient on the left, and the photoshop on the right. See how the photoshop one is more evenly spread out?

Yup, that definitely looks like your "Location" slider is off. Did you check that out?